An Oddity of Times
by Casual-Tuesdays
Summary: -50 theme challenge with Fox and Pikachu- (Chapter 17: Mess) It was almost scary how you never truly knew someone until you saw their bedroom. Pikachu almost wanted to forget.
1. Speak

Oh hey, I'm actually doing something for once.

I haven't uploaded anything in a long while because school has been a massive pain in the ass and I have had a mass amount of complications in my life recently that have changed a bunch of circumstances.

However, I am alive and motivated to post again.

I've been wanting to do a 50 themes challenge so I chose to do it with a pairing I like (and I probably like alone since there are no stories with these kiddos interacting) but whatever man, it's fanfiction.

* * *

 ** _01:Speak_**

At first he was indifferent. He opted to keep to himself and focus on doing the best that he could at the invitational tournament. He hadn't planned on developing bonds outside of the already standing friendship he shared with his wingmate Falco, and yet he was caught extremely off-guard when he found himself craving more interactions after the first one.

Focus on what you're here for was a moral that soon was tossed to the wind and carried off to a place forgotten. He found himself baffled; he hated to admit it, especially because he detested being the object of torment from his teammates for his major fault, but he knew he was somewhat of an introvert. He didn't really like or care for talking to those he didn't know at all or even remotely. So the fact that he felt drawn to her after their first conversation, and calling it a conversation is being incredibly generous since it was more like an exchange of a few sentences, left him incredulous.

He told him wingmate his messy cluster of feelings after he soon discovered them because he reached a point of realizing that he did not know how to proceed or if he should even proceed at all. And to say Falco was a help at all would be a massive overstatement.

' _Coming to you about this wasn't my best decision.'_

' _A horrible decision, really.'_

Regardless, he chose to let the desire dissipate because he just could not allow it to consume him whole.

Besides, he didn't even realize until he heard her speak for the first time that the electric mouse was actually a girl.


	2. Warm

Okay so I'm at my new internship at school and I have no work to do, I haven't posted in over a year, and I just thought of this after rereading my old stories so why not?

* * *

 _ **02: Warm**_

Pikachu shivered, the cold breeze dancing along her skin causing goose bumps to appear at an alarming rate. Winter wasn't the friendliest of seasons, and she was definitely not a fan of it. The cold air caused her discomfort and she hated fighting for extra body heat; wearing all the extra layers reduced mobility to a point she couldn't care for, and it definitely made her not miss being a human.

Which lead her to berate herself for choosing today of all days to walk around in her human body.

The bracelet that granted the power to her to swap from her Pikachu form to her humanoid like state required a cool down period. And the cold weather was proving to extend this period.

So here she was, frozen and unhappy.

But if anything could be redeemed from the frigid time of year, it had to be the environment.

Pikachu decided that snow was the most gorgeous when it first fell, and sat there untouched. No kids had romped through it yet and caused destruction, no cars had ruined it with their tire tracks- it was beautiful to look at undisturbed.

She also thoroughly enjoyed the sight of the white flakes laying on top of the pine trees. It was so cold, but it almost made her feel cozy. The snow made her want to curl up and stay there forever.

She sighed, and took note of the sight of her breath in front of her, as though it was teasing her that the temperatures were going to keep dropping and rather than wasting time walking around, she should hurry back to the mansion to warm up.

Pikachu decided to do just that.

The walk was quick but frozen all the same. She made sure not to zone out and wander so far off that the journey back was treacherous (because everything felt further when its below 20 degrees).

The mansion appearing in the distance led the girl to pick up her pace. Snowflakes flew directly into her face, thanks to the wind, inhibiting her vision slightly, and resulting in her tucking her face down further into the folds of her scarf.

 _It's too cold._

The younger smashers appeared in her peripherals, some laying on the ground trying to form snow angels, while others opted for launching snowballs at each other.

She couldn't help but smile, even the tiniest bit, at the kids for enjoying something she simply despised. She also admired them for toughing it out in the current weather- she was not interested whatsoever in being outside any longer.

Her eyes lit up at the sight of the large hanger, connected to the side of the mansion where the various vehicles belonging to some of the other residents are kept. The door leading in was wide open, and while this was good for her, making it extremely easy to get into the mansion now rather than walking around to the back door, she wondered what kind of lunatic would leave the door wide open when it's only 20 degrees outside.

She hurried in, sighing as the slightly warmed air met her face. Stomping her feet against the ground to rid herself of excess snow being carried in, she raised her eyes in search of the person responsible for the open door.

She frowned, unable to find the person of interest.

Unwrapping the scarf from around her neck, Pikachu began her walk to the next door leading inside, boots squeaking slightly against the cement floor of the hanger. She couldn't help but roll her eyes; noises like these were picked up so much easier with her heighted sense of hearing, and it bugged her, especially with the less than pleasant sounds.

Her ears perked up to a different sound. The low rumble of bass, coupled with other instruments- guitars and drums she decided- joined in a rose in volume the closer she got to the door.

She stopped when it became crystal clear, noticing the radio turned on and blasting some local rock station.

Looking to her right, she then saw the person in question bent over their arwing, looking as though they were lending some care to the small plane in the cold season.

She didn't get why Fox McCloud chose the coldest day of the week to do this, since the hanger doesn't retain the heat that the mansion carries. But then again, maybe that is exactly why he is out here now.

"Why did you leave the door wide open?"

The vulpine stopped what he was doing to peer over his shoulder at the owner of the voice for a split second before returning his attention to the arwing.

"It gets warm in here."

Pikachu couldn't repress the bitter laugh that escaped her. "You're ridiculous. It's 20 degrees outside right now and you're complaining about it being too warm?"

Fox looked back at her with an amused expression, eyes inspecting her from top to bottom.

"I guess I can understand why you're unhappy with that decision," he replied with a laugh.

"You should!" Pikachu cried, unable to stop the grin from stretching across her face.

She didn't find the situation funny. More so she didn't understand what he was thinking or why he was doing what he was.

"It's freezing. How can you be so warm?"

Fox shrugged, eyes floating around the room before returning back to hers, almost like he was searching for something else to hold his attention.

"I'm a fox. I have a full coat of fur on me."

 _Oh duh._

She bit her lip, a rosy color coloring her cheeks around the already red patches that sat there.

"I can't believe I didn't think about that," she replied, obviously embarrassed. "I'm freezing because I don't have any fur right now and you're probably overheating."

Fox chuckled, looking down at the wrench in his hands.

"Well I can't blame you for being upset about the weather."

Pikachu frowned. "I don't like winter. It's too cold and I feel like it's a fight for survival constantly."

"What about the holidays? The snow? You aren't a fan of any of that?" He posed the question, leaning his back against the side of the plane and crossing his arms.

It was her turn to laugh.

"I didn't realize this was turning into an interview."

He shrugged and offered her a small smile. "Just giving you some time to warm up."

She paused. "Figuratively or literally?"

"Whatever way you wanna take it."

Warmth danced on her cheeks, and she worried that the growing blush was going to become noticeable to the vulpine standing across from her.

She didn't know him very well, but she wasn't going to deny that she found him handsome and overall just very likeable as a person in general. However, those personal thoughts were going to remain personal.

Which led her to wonder what he thought of her as a person.

She fanned her now warm face with her hand, hoping he wouldn't think much of the action.

It was beginning to get too warm in here for her.


	3. Medicine

It's been done before but whatever.

I think then I do.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _ **03: Medicine**_

Fox never expected all of them to be so easily defeated, practically rendered useless. They were the most talented fighters across the universe, capable of bringing an end to terror of all kinds. They were strong, they were smart, they were nothing to be taken lightly. It felt as though they were almost invincible.

"Achoo!"

 _Almost._

The back of his head met the warmed surface of the pillow with a smack, and he couldn't suppress the groan that escaped his lips.

 _When was the last time he had a cold this bad anyway?_

It was ironic in a way; so many of them there had looked death straight in the eyes, been beaten senseless, and tortured no less, but all it took was the seasonal bug to make its dastardly way around their living quarters to knock the majority of them flat.

The door creaked open, and a blonde slipped in, her eyes trained on the bottle she was holding in her hand. Her forehead was creased and lips were slightly parted, barely moving as though she was reading the label in front of her.

Again, the cold knocked the _majority_ of them flat.

"I think…" Pikachu began, still reading the medicine bottle. Her other hand held a glass of water, and with each passing moment, her wrist lazily tipped it and Fox feared for when she wouldn't notice that she tipped it too far that the water would end up all over the carpet below.

"I think this should help with the fever," she finished, opening the bottle and pouring out two small tablets. She held her hand out to the vulpine, who is response opened his, allowing the girl to drop the pills. Her other hand holding the water shot out next, and Fox mumbled a quick thanks as he grabbed it, tossing the medicine into his mouth and following up with the water.

"You sure you don't want to become a doctor?" Fox offered a smirk. "You sure seem to know what you're doing there."

Pikachu stuck her tongue out at him. "Make fun of me all you want, but we'll see who has the last laugh when you recover thanks to me."

She tossed the bottle onto the side table, ignoring the way it landed and rolled into the lamp occupying the space.

"Besides, I'm so used to using berries and potions that these other kinds of medicines are so confusing. Did you know we have like five different options for treating a fever in the clinic? It's ridiculous. I had to get Peach to help me figure out the best one for you."

Fox rolled his eyes. "Of course Peach isn't sick. She sterilizes like that's the real reason she's here."

There was a brief pause, and as soon as the thought came to a screeching halt in the forefront of his mind, it escaped his lips.

"How are you so healthy anyway?"

"Because," she began, the kind expression being replaced by one of pure smug.

 _Damn her._

"I try to be careful with who I spend so much time around."

He instantly knew the pointed statement was directed at him ignoring the warnings from Dr. Mario to avoid continuing training with Falco a few days prior. The avian had fallen ill and picked up a rough fever, marking the start of the downfall of everyone around him.

She was right but he couldn't ignore the annoyance that bubbled up in his chest. "Well aren't you ju-"

His statement was cut off by a coughing fit, his body being thrown forward almost violently. His ears burned slightly, annoyed that it came on so suddenly and unexpectedly that he didn't get the chance to cover his mouth, and instead had to settle for coughing out in the open in front of the blonde.

Pikachu gave him a small smile, and her eyes softened, sympathy flashing across them.

"Hopefully you feel better tomorrow."

He nodded but said nothing, settling for leaning back on his bed and yanking the covers up to the middle of his neck.

She shifted back and forth between her feet, twisting her body ever so slightly to look around the room. The silence grew heavy, and Fox began to secretly hope she would do something to break it.

"Do you want me to go?"

"Huh?" He blinked, unsure he heard he correctly. He felt his senses slowing, and a groggy sense of comfort spread through him like a wild fire.

"I can go," she repeated, the small smile still present on her lips. "You look like you're about to pass out."

"I guess I am," Fox conceded, and raised on of his hands to rub at his eyes.

Whatever was in those meds was definitely coming into effect now.

He blinked and then realized she was already half way out the door, her finger resting on the light switch.

"I'll check on you in a few hours, okay?" She didn't bother looking, settling for calling back to him over her shoulder.

Fox breathed out, sinking further into his bed. "Sounds good. Thanks."

* * *

A full recovery met Fox only two days later, and the vulpine was eternally grateful for getting over the bug so quickly. He noted that a large portion of the other afflicted residents were lucky enough to have the same fate as him, and soon the dead mansion was once again back to the usual liveliness it had once before.

He rounded the corner, pulling his shoulder in to make sure to avoid bumping into the wall- he didn't trust himself to not accidently dump the entirety of the water he was carrying post collision. He already lost a bit of it just from the journey from the kitchen to the residential quarters.

Fox stopped at the door that led to his destination, turning the knob and letting himself in. The room was dark and the lump under the covers confirmed his suspicion that she was hiding in her room.

"How you feeling?" He asked, unable to prevent the smile from spreading across his face.

Pikachu groaned, pulling the sheets over her head, letting the blankets muffle her speech.

"What do you think?" She sneered, and he let himself laugh in return. "Like shit."

He walked over to the side of the bed, sitting down on the edge of it and placing the items he had been carrying on the side table.

"Well, the best advice I can offer you is something someone very intelligent told me a while back."

"Oh yeah?" She challenged, peeking out from the hole she made herself within the blankets. "And what would that be?"

He smiled at the girl, and she felt her stomach drop.

"You should probably be careful with who you spend so much time around."

A louder groan left Pikachu, and Fox laughed louder this time, watching the covers once again get tossed over the blonde's head.


	4. Painful

Fair warning; there's nothing too "graphic" in here, but violence to a degree. I didn't go overboard with details because I didn't want to dwell on it.

Also wasn't planning on having a continuation of this specific theme/story/oneshot/whatever you wanna call it, but if people are interested, let me know and I will consider.

* * *

 ** _04: Painful_**

It was no secret they didn't get along. The hostility, especially from the lupine's side, carried a horrid stench and was unable to go unnoticed. She figured that they were merely rivals, given that they both did almost the same things, acting as mercenaries to some extent, but the first time she saw shots actually, _literally_ , get fired because of one nasty comment from Fox's mouth- completely unlike him, might she add- made her realize that the bad blood ran deeper that she originally thought.

Pikachu sought out information from Falco, purely because she was curious and had become better friends with Fox, and that there was no way she was going to ask the StarFox leader herself for details on something that he really did not seem willing to open up about.

The most she got from the other member anyway was that it had been going on for a long time, and something else relating back to Fox's dad.

She chose to let the conversation die there.

But she did decide to improve her skills of observation by picking up on the cues that the two pilots in question tossed out into the air. And she was able to deduce, albeit she pretty much knew already, that they absolutely despised each other. Even to the point where she was convinced that Wolf would accept any and all opportunities to get at Fox.

And as she feared, seeing how the lineup for matches played out for the afternoon, today was the day.

Pikachu sat on the edge of the seat right from the start of the match, her leg bouncing with increasing velocity. Her foot tapped the ground obnoxiously, and as badly as she wanted to cease the behavior, her anxiety was amplifying so loud that it was deafening.

"Can you just relax?" Falco piped up, shooting her a glare, obviously bothered by the rapid movement coming from her side of the couch. She noted how she accidentally bumped him a few times with her leg, and promptly apologized for it, but she eventually gave up because it was happening too frequently and her focus went to the television broadcasting the match that was the source of her worries.

She ignored the question, and opted for firing back with one of her own. "How are you so calm?"

The avian shrugged. "Because it's Fox. The guy will be fine." He ended with a grumble and placed his chin in the palm of his hand, propped up by his elbow.

"Things have been getting _worse._ Pretty sure Wolf wants to eat him alive," Pikachu snapped back, narrowing her eyes at her companion.

Falco returned the look, still unamused, and she muttered another apology for snapping, her cheeks getting warm from embarrassment.

Pikachu was grateful that no one else in the room noticed her not-so-cool demeanor. She did note, however, the amount of people occupying the space was greater than usual, especially for a basic placement match. None of theses matches really mattered, so why were so many people so excited for this match in particular?

The girl assumed it was the fighters in question.

She returned her attention to the television, and breathed a sigh of relief, noticing the vulpine was holding his own relatively alright. The one thing Fox did hold over Wolf was speed, and used it to his advantage, sliding and flipping past Wolf skillfully to avoid any hits that could do significant damage.

Another thing was very apparent was the growing frustration on Wolf's part; his nostrils were flaring and his one visible eye was so narrowed that Pikachu wondered if he could actually see at all.

 _He's pissed, no doubt about that._

Fox ducked down, avoiding another punch, taking note of the brief glint of light bouncing off of Wolf's claws. His leg swept forward, catching his opponent and sending him to the ground with a large thud.

Preparing to leap back, Fox yelped in surprise as he too collapsed on the ground, cursing to himself for slowing down just enough for Wolf to swipe a leg of his own out.

Fox rolled away quickly, his head whipping upwards just in time to avoid the shot sent his way from Wolf's blaster.

Wolf snarled, baring his teeth.

"Play time's over Fox."

The phrase sent chills down Pikachu's spine, goose bumps making an unwelcome appearance on her arms. She peeked out of the corner of her eye to survey Falco's expression, the avian's eyes narrowed slightly and the edges of his mouth directed downwards, the sudden change in his expression not helping with how she was feeling.

A cry from a few of the other members of the audience resulted in her snapping her eyes back the television, and what she saw made her blood run cold.

Wolf had managed to get Fox pinned, his boot pressing down against the smaller of the two's back, clawed hands holding his arm in a death grip. Wolf continued his onslaught, pushing Fox's arm in the wrong direction.

Pikachu felt her stomach turn sour, unsure if it was due to the expectation of the worst to come or if the unnatural angle of the vulpine's arm was getting to her.

Wolf pushed again, more violently, and the strangled cry from Fox was enough for her.

"Stop it!" Pikachu cried, shooting up from her seat. She felt nauseated from the sudden movement, and the sweat trailing down her back made it more unbearable. "Somebody stop him! He's hurting him!"

The room was tense, half of the fighters directing their eyes away from the screen, unable to watch anymore, while the others were stuck, slack jawed and in a trance. Chatter went around the room in circles excitedly, but she found herself incapable of making any of it out into actual words.

The final push from Wolf reached the limit, and an unsettling snap came from the speakers, followed by the cry from Fox as he fell to the ground and the gasps from everyone watching.

The cold sweat coated Pikachu's body at this point, and she couldn't prevent the tears from overflowing the corners of her eyes.

"Why didn't anyone stop him?" She choked out, the words getting caught in her throat.

Falco cursed under his breath, rushing out of the room, likely heading towards the transporters to help retrieve his injured friend.

Pikachu tried to will her body to move, but found herself glued to the spot, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks, dampening the front of her shirt. Frustration bubbled in her chest painfully, and the thoughts running through her head at high speeds made her dizzy.

She didn't even notice the emptying room or the disconnected channel of the television, showing nothing but a black screen. All that could be focused on was the pain that blinded her senses, and all that could be heard was the last cry from Fox.


	5. Eyes

Is a short one- I am sorry. I'm writing this in bed the night before I move to my new apartment and I feel like death from packing but then I wanted to write this.

Also! Thank you so much to everyone who reviews. I really appreciate it. I love hearing people's thoughts and opinions- it really does make my day and makes this worth it.

* * *

 _ **05: Eyes**_

They're really pretty, he decided.

They were strikingly blue, almost like ice, cold and frozen- to some probably bordering unapproachable. He knew she wasn't like that though.

They were oceans to dive into and sink into the deep, and he was relieved that he remembered how to swim, able to stay afloat and keep up with her always quickening pace. He was very glad he was a strong swimmer.

He berated himself, scolding silently to stop getting so distracted because of her pretty eyes. But what was more concerning than the distraction that kept sending his entire system into a shutdown was the fear of getting caught in the act.

"Fox."

 _Whoops._

So much for stealth.

Pikachu waved her hand back and forth in front of his muzzle, and he blinked in response, not entirely sure he registered what she said correctly. Looking down from her eyes, he noticed the pink tint appearing on her cheeks around the already red patches, and her lips clumped together forming a pout.

"What?" He stuttered, despite already knowing why she looked so embarrassed and borderline uncomfortable, and why when he looked to his left that Falco was rolling his eyes in the most dramatic fashion possible.

Her brow furrowed and she scowled. "You're staring."

Fox blinked again, his mouth going dry as he struggled to find a suitable response to get himself out of the hold he tossed his body into.

Her eyes burned holes into his skin, waiting for whatever pathetic answer he had, and he found himself desperate for the avian pilot to rescue him from this one.

Falco's chair screeched loudly, demanding the attention of the other two occupants of the table.

"Smooth as always," he grumbled into his mug, more to himself than either of his companions, stalking off towards the table holding the coffee.

Fox made a mental note to get back at Falco later for abandoning him in his time of need.

"Well?" Her expectant tone met his ears again, and they began to hurt from how warm they were.

He groaned internally- no point in avoiding it now, especially since he was caught red-handed with nowhere to run.

"You have pretty eyes," he spat quickly, telling himself to look away but finding himself stuck again because of the very eyes in question.

She looked surprised, her eyes widening. A moment of silence passed before she directed her attention downward, obviously just as awkward feeling as he was.

He then noticed the smile- small but there- cross her lips.

"Thanks."


	6. Innocence

Sorrryyyy, but it's another short one. In all honesty, I really shouldn't be spending so much time writing because I have a shit load of work to do for school, but I did anyway.

* * *

 _ **06: Innocence**_

The first time he saw the electric mouse, he had pretty much an identical reaction to every single other occupant of the mansion- how could something so small and so cute, ultimately be so destructive?

Fox have never heard of the Pokémon species before, and he opted for looking at it similarly as he did for the majority of the strange foreigners he encountered. He didn't judge; he assumed that some people were freaked out at seeing a humanoid vulpine strutting around. However, he still felt that there were worse things people could be afraid of.

It confused him at first. Initially, he did not know what the mouse was capable of. So when he saw firsthand the electricity flying across the room because Captain Falcon wasn't watching where he was going and accidentally kicked the "defenseless" creature, it scared the daylights out of him. Was this going to be an everyday occurrence now?

If so, he was ready to hop town.

He then chose to take the more cautionary route. He was observant, because he did not want to be on the receiving end of an electric shock. He felt wary being in a room with so many outlets and then seeing the mouse wander in. And then he felt bad for almost avoiding her because it wasn't _totally_ her fault. He soon learned when overhearing her speaking to Samus after another incident that the loose electrical wiring in the room sent her cheeks into a frenzy, and Fox did not doubt that for a second. He could hear the crackling down the hall and for that reason alone, he remained in his room for a good chunk of the day.

As time went on, the slight fear slid into the back of his mind and eventually exited altogether without a word. And he was glad, because he soon learned to enjoy the mouse's company. He saw as each day passed, her control and abilities improved and he couldn't help but feel happy for her. It was obvious she felt good about it too.

Naturally, there were a few slip ups here and there, and a few visits to the infirmary for some of the residents due to accidental electrical paralysis due to the static ability (he thanked Red for warning him about it). But time went on and life became somewhat normal.

He remembered the first time he called the mouse cute to her face the annoyance that flashed like lightning across her small features. She complained that so many people thought that due to her size and appearance that she was some innocent creature. He laughed as she rambled on for 20 minutes, criticizing everyone for things that were out of their control and how it just wasn't fair.

And he let her have that moment, opting for telling her some other time about how she could use her innocent demeanor as a deadly weapon.


	7. Hunt

Is a long one! How exciting!

I had fun writing this one actually, but in case of confusion, I will explain at the end.

* * *

 _ **07: Hunt**_

Normally the darkness that overtook the halls of the mansion would result in her deciding to use her electricity to illuminate the way for her, but the circumstances at hand made her choose against her go-to tactic. The darkness of 2:14 AM was excellent cover to stealthily make the journey to the kitchen to grab food without getting caught by someone, and the time was a bonus; who would be awake at this time on a Tuesday evening?

No one sane, Pikachu decided.

But that also led her to mentally slap herself, because by that thought process, she is not considered sane then.

She let herself off easy instead.

She focused her energy on shuffling quietly towards the kitchen at a moderate pace, pleading her stomach to not let out a ferocious growl like it had consistently been doing for the past 30 minutes. It was admittedly dumb to skip dinner, but the paranoia of the matter at hand was dividing everyone in the mansion so much that she didn't want to risk going to the provided dinner. Avoiding the others was the best strategy to get through this soundly. And as much as she hated secluding herself, it was necessary.

It was strange to see the place so dead- even though it was extremely late (or early in the morning depending on how you chose to look at it), there would usually be a few people up and about still. The night owls, who either napped a good chunk of the day away and couldn't sleep at night, or just found midnight to be the most suited time to get work done. Individuals like Wario and Robin fell into this category respectively, so Pikachu had been preparing herself to run into one of them at some point. She was surprised, however, when she snuck past both of their rooms and heard no signs of movement coming from the other side of the door, but instead peaceful breathing.

Nudging the door to the kitchen slightly, Pikachu peeked through the crack to survey the area, letting out a sigh of relief to find the room abandoned. She walked in and headed straight to the fridge, yanking the large door open.

It's funny how when you are starving, anything and everything looks amazing.

Settling for an apple, Pikachu made her way back to the door before pausing for a moment.

 _Is it worth it eating here and risking being found?_

The thought buzzed around her mind angrily like a hornet, and she eventually settled for eating quickly at the small table in the corner. Might as well eat and get her energy back up in case she has to make a break for it at some point.

Pikachu laughed bitterly to herself for trying to eat the apple quietly- with every bite she took, the loud crunch made her cringe slightly. She was a sitting duck right now, but silently thanked the designer of the mansion for having a second exit from the kitchen, just in case someone did happen to come in through one doorway, she would be able to make a break for it through the other.

Her stomach began to lose the hollow feeling as she finished, making the journey for a late night snack absolutely worth it. Tossing the apple core into the garbage, she wandered back to the door she originally entered, preparing herself for the walk back to her room to conclude the evening.

Heading back was seemingly calmer than heading to the kitchen, making Pikachu wonder if having an empty stomach added to the slight anxiety she felt wandering the mansion alone, unguarded. She shrugged the thought off, focusing on making it back as quickly as possible, and preferably undetected.

The paranoia in her chest panged louder with each corner she rounded, and she found herself quickly annoyed with the fear of the unknown and what could potentially be hiding in the shadows.

A breeze swept across her exposed forearms and she paused, peering over her shoulder in search of the source. There weren't any windows in this hallway, given that it was a sleeping quarters, so a gust of wind from the outdoors was out of the question.

Her eyes carefully surveyed the hallway surrounding her, making sure to inspect darker spots more carefully because as far as she was concerned, Pikachu felt she was being followed by someone. And despite what was going on, she hoped that person would pick up on her not being in the mood for this right now and would promptly leave her be.

A minute of nothing passed, and with a huff, she turned to continue her trek to her room, praying to herself to be undisturbed.

With a few turns left to go, she unknowingly quickened her pace, crossing her arms over her chest to stop the chills crawling up her spine.

Another breeze, uninvited, met with her skin, and she whipped around, annoyance dancing on her features.

"I know you're there," she called out, trying to keep her voice level and quiet, but still loud enough that her pursuer could make out what she was saying. "You might as well give up and try again some other time, because I know you're following me."

Despite what she said, an unsettling feeling swept over her as she and likely whoever she was speaking to knew that it was an empty threat.

Another minute, more silence. Irritated, she groaned aloud this time, turning on her heel and practically stomping her way back. This was _not_ how she planned for this to go.

But on the other hand, Pikachu felt she was being a little silly for expecting such a simple plan to go without problems along the way. Going at night when everyone, or mostly everyone, was dead asleep definitely lessened the likelihood of her being found out. But then again, she shouldn't have let her guard down so much to expect that there wouldn't have been that one determined individual who would be one step ahead of her.

The third breeze made her want to scream in frustration, and as badly as she wanted to let it all out, she held it in and swallowed it down, a lump forming in her throat.

"Fine. You want to be that way? _Fine._ "

Whoever was trailing her was probably getting a kick out of how visibly pissed she was at this point, because she was completely aware at how bad of a job she was doing trying to mask it.

Turning on her heel, she crossed her arms across her chest again, the scowl on her face feeling as though it actually carried weight. Her eyes searched high and low for a sign of life, but again, to no avail. Her assailant was crafty, smart, and was most definitely not getting out of her wrath when this was all over.

She took a careful step backwards, continuing to make her way back to her destination. She kept her eyes trained on the hallway, hoping to make some discovery to her benefit.

Suddenly, her back met a hard yet slightly squishy surface that she bounced off of, and the instant the impact was made, she swung her arm around, aiming to knock the air out of whoever was behind her in order to give her a chance to run.

The moment her fist met a chest, the feeling of cold metal met her cheek, and she blinked.

Her pursuer, now in plain sight, let out a slight wheeze, the result of her violent rebuttal to being followed, and seeing their face made her frustration spill over the edge.

" _Fox McCloud!_ Are you kidding me!?"

The vulpine in question coughed, stepping backwards to rub his chest. He offered the girl a slight grin, which in turned only fueled the burning fire within her.

"You know, I could ask you the same thing," he laughed, but it came out strained due to the punch she landed on him. "You really didn't have to come out swinging you know."

Her eyes narrowed at him, annoyed. "You really didn't have to follow me at 2:30 in the morning, you know. Following a girl at this hour is creepy, you think about that?"

He shrugged in response, and she wanted to do nothing more than wipe that shit-eating grin off his muzzle.

He coughed again, clearing his throat before speaking. "Well, as much as I hate to break it to you, you're out."

Pikachu prepared to fight back before stopping briefly, choosing to save her biting remark for another time. "You had me as your target?"

He tossed the metal spoon, the object that met her skin moments before, in his gloved hand. He looked at it for a second before raising his eyes to meet hers.

"No, I actually originally had Kirby as my target," he replied, directing his attention at the utensil once more. "I think you can imagine how that went. I left out some food in the dining hall for him a few nights ago and naturally, he showed up a few minutes later."

"So Kirby had me?"

"Kirby had Luigi, who had Zelda, who had Sonic, who had Little Mac, who had…" he paused, pointing the spoon at her and clicking his tongue. "You."

Placing her hands on her hips, she raised an eyebrow at the pilot. "You really went through all of those people?"

"Yeah," he mused, turning the spoon over in his hand again. "It's funny how easy it was to get through all of them. You were actually the hardest target I've had so far."

"Wow," she taunted, placing a hand on her chest. "I'm honored I was such a challenge for the great Fox McCloud."

Fox laughed again, ignoring the mocking tone in her voice. "No need to be so hurt about it. It was nothing personal."

She pouted in response, feeling a temper tantrum coming on like she was a small child again. "I know, but I thought I stood a good chance. My next target was R.O.B. of all things. That robot won't say no to helping someone out, even if we are playing assassin. It was too easy."

"And now he is my humble target, so thank you madame," Fox teased, bowing slightly, which in turn caused the girl to roll her eyes.

"Yeah whatever. I hope whoever has you puts your streak to rest so I can laugh about it."

The vulpine shook his head, chuckling quietly. "So bitter, Pikachu. It was fun while it lasted."

She offered him a glare in response, and he just laughed again, louder this time. She stormed off, intentionally bumping her shoulder into his to seem madder than she truly was.

"So I'll see you in the morning?" He called after her, and she felt her ears get hot.

"We'll see!" She called back, refusing to look back at the man who ended her hunt early.

* * *

Okay, so if you weren't sure what was going on, the entire group was playing a game called Assassin. Everyone gets a target, and using a spoon, you have to touch your target with said spoon, "killing" them and knocking them out of the game. Whoever their target was becomes your target, and so on and so forth until you knock out the person who has you as their target, thus ending the game because no one is left.


	8. Drunk

_**08:Drunk**_

Everything was fuzzy; looking fuzzy because her eyes could not focus the way she wanted them to, feeling fuzzy because her body tickled in the strangest way, and thinking fuzzy because she couldn't straighten it out. Her senses were disoriented unlike ever before, and she was worried that she would misstep and then find herself laying on the ground waiting for someone to come rescue her from herself. It wasn't the best thought out plan, agreeing to something she had never experienced before, letting herself cut back and relax for once, having fun with the other residents. They laughed and joked around and sang like idiots and _drank._

Oh boy, did Pikachu drink.

The opportunity had never shone through the cracks before to her, and she always turned away whenever she saw the others indulging alcohol because she saw the things it did to people and she was never sure if she wanted to endure that herself. Eventually, after a stressful week of matches and the tournament opener for the season, she wanted nothing more than to forget about it all.

And when Pit waved that bottle in front of her face, she immediately let the liquid drown her senses because she really did not care at that point.

It was a large group of them together, so luckily a few strays decided that they would enjoy a drink of two but then sit back and keep an eye on everyone else who was not being as responsible, and Pikachu thanked them for that because being a sober monitor was at the bottom of her to-do list.

So she pounded back drink after drink- dumbly she might add, since the girl have never been drunk in her life- and she let her senses go dull and loved every minute of it.

Every minute until the current time because oh boy, was she struggling to make it back to her room without falling flat on her face. She had heard and seen of not being able to walk after letting alcohol take ahold of the wheel, but living it was an entirely different matter.

Pikachu used the wall to guide her, slightly leaning against it as she stumbled slowly down the hallway. Minutes felt like hours and she was fairly certain that she had never moved so slowly in her life, but the fear of being unable to stand up straight consumed her.

The halls of the mansion were silent for the most part, occasionally lit up with silent laughter from inside the rooms; others were also enjoying the night off it seemed, and Pikachu prayed that they made better decisions than she did.

More responsible decisions seemed like a more appropriate phrasing.

She rounded the corner and practically launched herself at her bedroom door, her hand gripping the doorknob as it was the only thing holding herself up as she slid down to the floor. A hiccup left her and she paused before giggling to herself.

The alcohol definitely made her loosen up and feel light and bubbly, which she was on the fence about whether she really liked it or not. She definitely did not like the affects it had on her body- walking had gone from a second-nature ability, beyond easy to master, and now it was the hardest thing she's encountered all day.

She slowly turned the knob as she lifted herself off of the ground, pushing the door open with her abdomen, trying her best to not slump to the ground again (she swore that gravity was pulling her down more than usual tonight).

As soon as her eyes could make out the bed in the dimly lit room, she threw herself onto it, burying her face into the soft, feathered pillows. A deep sigh left her and her mind grew fuzzy again from the sudden movement.

She inhaled deeply, stopping herself when her blood ran cold.

 _Why do the pillows smell different than normal…?_

The question bounced around off the walls of her mind, something that she was positive was going to give her a headache in the morning.

Raising her head slightly, she struggled to make out any identifiable differences in the room- every bedroom was relatively identical, with the exception of a few personal belongings the occupant decided to display. Her eyes continued their hungry search, eventually landing on a white jacket tossed lazily onto the back of the desk chair.

A few moments passed of her just staring at the garment, a sense of familiarity tickling the surface, but the feeling wasn't strong enough for her to remember where she had seen it before.

Her ears twitched to the sound of a door clicking, and the realization of the fact that whoever was occupying the room was currently in the room as well. Light filtered out from what she assumed to be the bathroom, and a light squeak escaped her as she attempted to scramble off the bed, ultimately landing on the floor below with a thud.

She groaned, her head growing dizzy once more, accepting that she was going to be caught in a rather awkward situation, dreading attempting to explain her reasoning for being there.

"Pikachu?"

She lifted her head nervously to meet the eyes of Fox McCloud, who was showing a mixture of slight concern but also attempting to suppress all laughter.

"Oh hey there…." she choked out, the words connecting every so barely, coming out slightly slurred. As soon as they left her mouth, his eyes lit up.

"Oh my god," he began, his laughter spilling over the surface. "You're drunk."

She sat up rather quickly to face the vulpine, regretting the decision when the room span very quickly. "No no no…. I think _you_ are the drunk one," she replied, pointing shakily back at him.

He chuckled again, shaking his head. "Why are you in my room?"

Pikachu pursed her lips, blowing the air, lifting the wisps of hair that had fallen in front of her face. "I guess that makes sense why this isn't my room."

Fox raised an eyebrow in response. "You've never been drunk before."

"Whaaaat?" She cried, her voice raising several octaves and her face getting even warmer than it was before. "Yes I have."

"Right, right." He chose to humor the girl who was now laying on her side on the floor, humming to herself.

Another moment of silence passed, and he heaved a sigh, bending down and wrapping his arms around the abdomen of the blonde, tossing her over his shoulder.

"Time for bed."

She wiggled against him slightly as he made his way to the door, ultimately giving up as quickly as she had started. "But I don't wanna go to bed!"

A hiccup escaped her again, and Fox couldn't prevent the laugh from escaping himself.

"It might be in your best interest, Pikachu."

"Can I stay here then?"

He paused, his hand already on the door knob. "What?"

She drummed her hands against his back, starting up the humming once more. "Here- can I stay here tonight? Please?"

His ears and face burned at the thought of having the small blonde staying with him for the night- not that he minded the idea of it. He rather enjoyed the girl's company. It was the fact that she was obviously very intoxicated that made him nervous.

"Please Fox?" She whined, her hands making their ways to his sides and giving them a squeeze, causing him to go even more red in the face.

"You won't keep me up all night, will you?"

"Of course not!" She sang as he placed her down in front of him. She scurried past him, diving back onto bed in a hurry. "Just until 5 A.M." She threw a cheeky grin in his direction before hiccupping again, patting the spot next to her.

He rolled his eyes and said nothing, flipping off the light, and making his way to the bed. He laid on his back next to the girl and shut his eyes briefly before feeling the pressure of a finger driving into his ribs.

"I'm next to you Pikachu. You don't have to poke me to get my attention."

"Just making sure you're still awake."

"I've been laying down for twenty seconds," he chuckled before letting out a yawn.

She rolled onto her back next to him, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "Let's not dwell on this too much in the morning, okay?"

"Okay."


	9. Venom

A bit of a divergence from what I guess I'm comfortable writing, so here goes.

* * *

 _ **09: Venom**_

He was livid.

Unbelievably, undeniably angry beyond his comprehension right now.

Fox tried to recall the last time he felt his blood boil like this; it hadn't been for a long time, because as he has grown in the last 4 years as a serious pilot, he had to train himself to collect himself, and remain calm and organized even when everything force surrounding him tried to provoke him otherwise.

But even at the (somewhat) mature age of 22, Fox allowed his temper to get the best of him this time around.

And ironically, out of everything that could set him off like an agitated volcano, it had to be _her._

He liked her, he had come to realize. A lot. She was seemingly very different from the few other females that occupied the mansion, and she possessed a few similarities to him that definitely shined through and caught his eye. But out of everything that was endearing about her, he could not stand the fact that she was ridiculously, inexcusably stubborn.

Pikachu was so stubborn that when bandits had shown up and stolen some dangerous weapons from the mansion that were only to be used by the possessor of said weapon that she ran off even though Fox had pleaded her to wait.

She had promptly returned a few hours later with the stolen goods and a smile on her face, proud and accepting of the praise everyone was offering because she had saved the day. He, however, did not fall into step with everyone else, instead prepping himself to give her an earful on why it was ridiculously stupid that she had done that. And she seemed to pick up on how he felt, because the moment her eyes met his, the smile was gone and her eyes grew glassy because he knew that she was fully aware at that moment that he was not pleased with her.

He also knew that she took it to heart because that was a few days ago and he hadn't had a chance to talk to her at all because every time he entered a room, he would notice her duck her head and hurry out. He understood her avoiding him because he knew he looked beyond pissed with her upon her return, but the intentional running because he didn't want to see him only fueled the fire burning within him.

And after the same routine for 3 days straight, he decided he was tired of it.

So he went searching for her.

And he was only moderately worried he would lose his mind at her.

Wandering the mansion aimlessly murdered any sense of joy Fox had left in him. Falco had questioned him when he stormed out of the avian's room earlier after the mere mention of her name, and when Fox simply huffed in response, Falco knew that only trouble was coming.

Minutes felt like hours as Fox continuously rounded corner after corner, searching for the blonde in question. She was successfully evading him, which agitated him further and made him wonder if she was hiding in her room or if she was completely oblivious to what was currently happening to the vulpine.

Fox paused in his tracks; he had completely forgotten that Pikachu very well could be just hiding out in her room, avoiding any risk of running into him. With that in mind, the pilot turned on his heel, heading back in the direction he had just come from.

What did he plan on saying anyway? Screaming at her was tempting, because he wanted it to be crystal clear how upset he was with her risking her safety for something that wasn't even really her issue in the first place, but that would sever some ties between them- he didn't want to drive her away.

Thoughts buzzed angrily in his mind like hornets, dulling the rest of his senses since it was so heavily distracting.

He rounded the third corner leading to the hallway that held her room when he spotted his target down the hallway. Pikachu stopped in her tracks, her eyes growing wide.

Before Fox could do anything, she had turned back the way she came, running away from the vulpine, who immediately took off after her in a hurry.

She was fast- Fox could not deny this- but luckily for him, she was faster when she was in her normal mouse-like form. Currently, she was not, therefore allowing him to steadily catch up.

Fox shot his arm out, gripping onto her forearm, receiving a squeak in response from the blonde and bringing them both to a stop. His eyes landed on a lone door, leading into a supply closet. Tightening his grip, Fox dragged the girl towards the closet, swinging the door open and pushing her inside, ignoring any cries of protest leaving her mouth.

Locking the door behind him, he turned around and pinched the bridge of his nose, unable to halt the slow progression of the headache settling in the middle of his forehead.

He opened his eyes to see her face- her bright blue eyes were as wide as saucers, and she was biting down so hard on her lip he swore she would draw blood.

A heavy sigh left him before he spoke.

"Do you…" He began slowly, trying to prevent the irritated tone in his voice from spilling over the edge. "…have any idea what you put me through the past few days?"

Pikachu blinked, saying nothing. Nervousness flittered across her facial expression as she remained silent. Fox, on the other hand, took this as his cue to continue.

"Do you have any idea…" he continued, voice rising in volume. "…how unbelievably _pissed_ I am at you?"

"For _what_?" She cried, color rising on her cheeks. "There was a problem, and I was able to fix it. Why couldn't you be happy like everyone else?"

"You could've gotten hurt!" Fox yelled, and she recoiled slightly. Fear crossed her face and she felt uncomfortable, having never seen the usually cool Fox McCloud so undone before.

Her ears dropped slightly, her eyes refusing to meet his. "I can take care of myself you know."

"I don't care," he hissed. "That was irresponsible of you to run off alone."

The previously frightened expression on Pikachu's face melted into a more offended form, eyes narrowing as she paused, searching for her words. "Since when do you get to decide when I do what and how?"

"That's not what this is about."

She scoffed, throwing her arms to her side. "It kind of sounds like you feel threatened about losing control on something."

It was his turn react; he growled under his breath, taking a step forwards towards the blonde, who in turn instinctually stepped backwards, desperate to keep the distance between the two constant.

"This _isn't_ about control. This is about you refusing to listen and doing something reckless."

"I'm not one of your subordinates, Fox!" She cried, her voice cracking as she attempted to reassert some type of dominance. "You can't order me around!"

"Ordering or not, you put yourself in a bad situation. You could've gotten hurt or worse, and nobody would be able to help you because you were alone!" His voice progressively rose, reaching a peak at the end in the form of a shout. He was breathing heavy and his mind was foggy, unable to decipher the look on her face, a mix of frustration and hurt.

"I don't need you protecting me." She hissed, her hands turning white from how tightly they were fisted. "I don't need to be saved by anyone."

It was like a rubber band holding together the last bit of his patience and tolerance has snapped as soon as Pikachu finished her statement. In one swift movement, he moved forward quickly, arms outward as he forced her against the wall behind her body. Her body made contact with the surface forcefully, causing her to release a gasp of surprise and loss of air. Her eyes grew wide again and her face flushed a deep shade of crimson as the vulpine grew close, hands on either side of her head, boxing her in.

"You don't need help?" He began, voice dangerously low. The eerily calm sound of his voice, a severe contrast to the condition it was in before, sent shivers down her spine. Not too mention the nervousness that bubbled in her chest from the close proximity between the two.

"What about right now? Nobody knows you're here or that I'm here, it kind of seems like you're in trouble," He breathed out slowly, and she merely gulped in response. "You sure you don't need help?"

"Fox, what are you doing?" She choked out in a whisper, unable to provoke her voice to raise its volume and gain back some control that had been handed over to the Starfox leader.

He said nothing, catching her throat in a firm grip, but loose enough to allow her to still gather some air. Her hands shot up, desperate to pull his hand away because the entire situation was becoming too much for her to handle and sent her into a tailspin.

"Fox," she squeaked, earning no response from her unexpected assailant. Another moment passed and she began to wonder if he was just trying to scare her straight or if the interaction held a deeper meaning.

As though he read her thoughts, his lips came crashing down on hers. She froze, her mind losing all capability of rational thinking and she flat-lined, finding herself growing hungry for more. She attempted to reciprocate, only being able to offer a weak response. Her faced burned even further as her drew closer, his body flush against hers.

The moment ended as soon as it had started, Fox pulling away and taking a step back. She opened her eyes shyly to peek at him, goose bumps making an appearance as his eyes were cold, competing with the red tint on his cheeks.

He turned back to the door, ready to exit. His gloved hand turned the door, shoving it open, the cold air floating in and gently brushing across Pikachu's face. He was already halfway out when he stopped, keeping his back facing the blonde.

"Think about it," he stated, blunt.

He stepped out, leaving her behind and the door ajar. She sighed heavily, placing her hand on her chest, trying to convince it to seize the rampant pace it was pounding at.

She slowly slid to the ground, keeping her back in contact with the wall behind her to stabilize her journey to the floor below, unconvinced that her legs can handle her own weight quite yet.

She knew that the circumstances of their relationship, or whatever it was, had suddenly been thrown into a realm of complication that she had no desire to travel into. And all she could think of was the taste on her tongue, venomous and slowing of her senses.


	10. Hair

Hi, hello; sorry it's been a while. Finals are around the corner and I am very busy!

* * *

 _ **10:Hair**_

He narrowed his eyes at her for what felt like the tenth time since they had sat down and begun the process, and she bit her tongue from telling him to knock it off.

"Are you sure?" His tone was uneasy, and whether that was because he had a gut feeling that she would regret this in a few hours or that he was skeptical on why she came to him of all people for this was unbeknownst to her.

"Yes," she breathed out, aware it sounded huffier that she was actually feeling. But Pikachu was also quickly losing patience with the hesitating Fox McCloud standing behind her, and it began to make her squirm in the seat that ten minutes had passed of absolutely nothing.

He raised his hand again before quickly dropping it to his side, _again._ "This seems extremely impulsive, even for you."

She whipped around in her seat quickly, eyes flashing dangerously. "I asked you for help because you didn't strike me as someone who would be so worrisome about the outcome."

He scowled at her sharp response, not liking the way it burned him ever so barely. "Don't have to be rude about it."

"Come on Fox!" She cried, her frustration obviously spilling over the edge and her nails dug into her palms from squeezing them so tightly. "It's just hair! It'll grow back!"

He rolled his eyes at her temper tantrum. "I feel like you'll have a freak out in a few hours. You have long hair, and all of the sudden you want it all gone. Don't you think that requires a bit more than a couple minutes of contemplation?"

"Why are you so worried about anyway? It isn't like it's the hair on your head," she spat, reaching for scissors in his gloved hand. He responded without saying anyway, raising his arm ever so slightly out of Pikachu's reach.

"I feel like girls tend to freak out about this shit…." he mumbled under his breath, her sharp hearing picking up on his complaint.

"I heard that," she smirked, turning back to the mirror. "We do, but if it turns out awful, I can just stay in my usual Pikachu form and wait for it to not he horrendous."

"Or you can get a wig," Fox chuckled to himself while she settled for rolling her eyes in a highly dramatic fashion.

She waved her hand dismissively at him, beckoning him to get closer and begin the process again. "Let's just get this over with."

He sighed, shaking his head as he took a cautious step forward, the metal scissors catching the light from the overhead fixture. He grabbed her ponytail, giving it a playful yank back towards him, and began to enclose the scissors slowly over her blonde hair.

"Last chance."

Pikachu rolled her eyes again, shaking her head slightly. "Just do it."

And he did. Her hair fell to the ground quickly as he cut through it like it was paper, little to no resistance despite the thickness her long locks possessed. He scratched his head, staring at all the hair on the ground, refusing to look up at the girl who was now admiring her slightly above shoulder length hair.

She tussled her hair lazily, running her fingers through it, ignoring the comments behind her of Fox's realization that there was now hair everywhere over his floor and that he didn't understand why this couldn't have been done in her room instead because now he has to find a vacuum to clean.

"What do you think?" She questioned, turning around in her chair again to look back at the vulpine behind her.

He scratched the back of his head, shrugging slightly. "It's…different."

She smirked, raising an eyebrow out of curiosity. "Do you not like it?"

"I'm not a hairdresser Pikachu. It's a little shaggy."

"I'm serious!" She cried, attempting to provoke a better answer out of him. She paused for a moment, looking back at the mirror, biting down on her lip. "Is it bad?"

"No, no!" Fox shook his hands in front of him almost frantically, earning her attention once more as she turned back to face him. "It's a good different."

"Oh," she breathed out, her cheeks slightly pink from the embarrassment of assuming that someone who she was almost desperate for approval from didn't like the way she looked.

"I just need some time to get used to it," he mumbled again, avoiding her eyes as he searched his room for a broom.

Looking back at the mirror, she ran her hand through the now short blonde hair sitting atop her head. Her head fell lazily to the side, her eyes moving from the reflection of her own to the reflection of the vulpine behind her instead.

"I think I should be saying that."


	11. Sleep

Hi hello, I have a request; I've been having a bunch of fun writing these because I love these two characters and they never interact and it makes me sad, hence why I'm writing these. The list I'm going off of is only about 50 long, but some of the themes are very obscure and hard to get ideas for.

If any of you have ideas for themes/plots for chapters, feel free to submit them to me! I love hearing what other people have to say/wanna see!

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

 _ **11:Sleep**_

The pounding at his door caused Fox to wake up with a start; he was caught off guard and took a brief moment to catch his breath because going from silence to the sudden and fast rhythmic tapping a few feet away was unexpected to say the least.

He sat up, eyes struggling to make out the time on the clock propped up on the bedside table, groaning slightly when he was able to see that it was in fact ridiculously late at night- or early depending on how you chose to view it. The clock showed 3:14 AM, and the vulpine sat still for a moment, wondering (and preparing himself) who in the world was still awake at this time.

After the pause, he stood and walked over to the door, the last remaining barricade between him and whoever decided to bother him. He prepared himself to see the blue avian on the opposing side, ready to storm into the room and ramble about whatever it was that pissed him off this time, no matter how minuscule the matter may be.

However, the person on the other side was not who he pictured, but rather a pajama-clad Pikachu, hair pulled up messily in a bun and bags largely apparent under her tired blue eyes. Fox blinked, unsure of what to say at first, once again caught by surprise to see someone who he was sure was dead asleep at this time in the morning.

"Sorry if I woke you," she began in an unusually small voice, and whether that was to remain quiet or for some reason was unknown to Fox.

His eyes searched hers for a moment, once again settling on the dark bags resting beneath her eyes. They were bigger than normal- she rarely had bags or seemed exhausted anyway- and they were like magnets, his eyes constantly being pulled to them no matter how hard he tried to look away.

"Are you okay?" He finally responded, and she merely shrugged.

"I can't sleep, if that wasn't obvious…" she sighed, blowing a stray hair out of her face.

Silence fell heavily upon their shoulders, Pikachu having said her piece and Fox unable to decipher that cause of her discomfort. He picked at his brain, the gears turning slower than normal due to having just woken up.

Fox breathed out slowly, leaning against the doorway and crossing his arms. "These past few days have been getting to you, have they?"

Pikachu eyes, previously having been closed, opened to show a glossy sheen. Fox recoiled ever so barely, uncomfortable for a few reasons: he had never been good with handling people when they cry, especially not younger girls. He also knew that despite being somewhat emotional, Pikachu didn't cry often. But the stress of the days gone by has been wearing down on everyone, him included.

"I'm worried about Captain Falcon," she started, her breath shaking. "And Ness. And Marth… and everyone."

"Pikachu-"

"We haven't found them, Fox." Her voice trembled more this time, and he feared for tears to spill over the edge. "What if _they_ got to them first?"

"Don't think that…" he choked out, trying his best to console the shaking blonde. "They're going to be okay. We'll find them."

She quickly looked away, rubbing at her eyes. "I'm sorry. I haven't been sleeping well the past few nights, and we've been constantly sending out search parties and I'm sure I've been no help…" she started, trailing off towards the end as her eyes searched the area around the vulpine, avoiding looking at him directly.

He offered a soft smile. "You don't have to apologize. Everyone is feeling the same way you do."

Pikachu merely nodded, still refusing to meet his eyes.

The two stood in silence, her searching around him while he kept looking straight at her to make certain she was alright.

"Hey," he said, breaking the silence that had blanketed them once more. "Give me a second?"

She blinked, watching as he retreated into the darkness of his room, listening as he rummaged through what she assumed to be his clothing. He returned a moment later, tossing his arms through his signature white jacket.

"Come on." He began to walk past her as she whipped around, keeping her sights focused on the moving vulpine.

"Where are we going?"

"On a walk."

It was pitch black out, and the further the duo traversed away from the mansion, the darker it became due to the loss of the lighting from the grand building. Pikachu settled for occasionally flicking her fingers, small bursts of bright electricity leaving her fingertips in a twirl. She followed close behind the Starfox leader, saying nothing as minutes past, unknowing of where they headed.

"Fox?"

He hummed in response, saying nothing as he continued his straight forward trek.

"Where are we going?" She repeated, growing desperate for a solidified answer to the question bouncing around in her mind like a ping pong ball.

"I didn't realize we had to be headed somewhere," he chuckled, and Pikachu resisted the urge to groan.

"So we're just walking?"

Fox stopped in his tracks, Pikachu coming to a halt a few inches behind. He turned, and she felt her cheeks and ears burn at the warm smile on his face.

"I'm just trying to wear you down a little," he teased, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes and smile all the same.

"What a classic strategy."

He laughed at the sarcasm laced throughout her response. "No, but really; this should hopefully clear your head a little. Out of sight, out of mind."

She cocked her head to the side in curiosity. "Are you sure you aren't leading me out to the middle of nowhere so you can effectively kill and hide my body?"

"Oh wow," his arms shot up to the sides in mock-insult and amusement. "You caught me, right in the middle of my devious plot and everything."

"Someone's gotta keep you on your toes," she sang, sticking her tongue out at him.

Fox smiled again, and she felt the familiar warmness settle everywhere on her body. "We'll find them, Pikachu."

"I know," she whispered, nodding slowly and avoiding his eyes once more, afraid of the puddle she'd possibly melt into.

A sudden loud cry startled the duo, causing Fox to literally jump out of his skin while Pikachu's eyes widened- half at the noise and half at the dramatic reaction from the Starfox leader.

"Are you okay?" She questioned, in between giggles.

Fox clutched at his chest, head whipping around in search of the source of the noise. "What was that?"

Pikachu hummed thoughtfully, looking around herself. "Sounded like some murkrow."

"Some _what?_ "

She laughed at remembering how foreign the Pokémon species were to everyone but herself and the related batch. "Just a bunch of birds. They like to make trouble at night."

Fox returned her look with a less-than-amused one, gradually dissipating into a look of annoyance. "I was never a huge fan of birds."

"Aw! What about poor ole Falco?" She laughed the expression that grossed Fox's face at the mention of his partner and ally.

"He's the reason," he teased, smirking as Pikachu laughed further.

A sudden yawn escaped her, and she quickly shut her mouth, embarrassment crawling up her spine. And the slight yearning of not wanting the moment between the two to end.

"I'll say," Fox nodded, brushing past her gently. "We should probably head back so you can try sleeping again."

She felt disappointed, but vowed to keep that thought to herself, not wanting the vulpine to know how she secretly felt. After all, there was a reason she came to him.

"Okay," Pikachu conceded, turning on her heel and jogging slightly to catch up to Fox who waited patiently for her. "You won't get annoyed if I do this every night, will you?" She smirked at him as he raised an eyebrow in question.

"Maybe not during this stretch. But if you do this during the tournament season to try and get an upper hand with me, we'll have an issue."

"Oh Fox" she sang again, grinning at him in a mischievous manner than sent a strange chill down his spine. "I would never do such a thing to a friend."

"Of course not…"

"But really," she sighed, stopping again as a soft smile graced her lips. "Thanks for helping me out."

He nodded, returning the sentiment, placing his hand on the small of her back to beckon her back in the direction of the sleeping quarters.

And off in the distance, the sun peeked out beyond the edge of the earth, barely allowing its golden branches to touch the sky.


	12. Photograph

_**12:Photograph**_

They had been situated in his room for going on roughly an hour now, silence wearing down slightly on their shoulders; he did his best to ignore it, but it was ultimately difficult to not be painfully aware of the quiet feel that settled within his assigned room since he was not sure how to combat it. They were friends, but they weren't super close to begin with- at least not to the degree of the relationship between him and his partner Falco Lombardi.

He had offered, at the onset of the tag-team tournament which him and Pikachu has been randomly drawn as partners for, that they took some time to research competition to the best of their abilities. The technology within the Smash mansion was relatively advanced, giving them access to a database with details regarding each member of the mansion. It was a resource that was scarcely used until the tournament season began, and then it becomes a highly trafficked site. Fox strongly pushed for watching some of the previously recorded matches of their upcoming opponents, Ike and Palutena, which lead them to their current situation.

Fox had attempted several times previously to initiate conversation with his partner who was planted on the bed behind him, but every response prompted from the blonde was a mere hum or generic reply that ended each probe as quickly as it had begun. She shuffled nosily through the documents that they had rented out from the library within the mansion detailing each previously-had tournament, Fox trying hard to not focus on her because she looked bored and tired and he had a hunch that she would rather be off somewhere training.

His ears perked up at the sigh behind him, resisting the urge within himself to let out a similar noise. Peering slightly over his shoulder, he saw her running her hands through her hair, eyes clouded over in thought. Or distress. Fox wasn't sure which was the dominant emotion for her.

Pikachu's eyes flickered up quickly, meeting his, resulting in a subtle raise of her eyebrows.

"Something wrong?"

Fox snorted to himself, shaking his head. "I could ask you the same thing."

She breathed out quickly, brushing the loose papers together before flopping lazily onto the bed. "Sorry, I'm trying my best. This just isn't the most stimulating activity."

He chuckled under his breath before responding. "It's alright. I can't help but be sort of bored too."

"Yeah…" she replied, her voice trailing off.

Once more, the room was blanketed by a quiet as Fox returned his attention to the monitor in front of him, his back facing the blonde who was absentmindedly looking around the room for something to focus on.

The reflection of light off of the glass surface drew her attention to the picture frame situated on the side table by the bed. Leaning forward slightly, she was able to make out the main figure of the photo; he bore resemblance to Fox himself, causing her to glance at the vulpine in question before looking back at the photo. She quickly deduced that it was not Fox himself since the subject of the photo had a somewhat darker coat of fur than Fox. His eyes were shielded by sunglasses, leading her to believe that he was too a pilot.

She reached out slowly, her fingers wrapping around the picture frame as she pulled it towards herself as she inspected it more closely. The nagging thought resting in the forefront of her mind had her wondering the identity of the subject of the photograph, her eyes landing on the back of the other occupant of the room.

"Who is this?" Her voice broke the silence, albeit shakily and uncertain given that her and Fox McCloud weren't the closest.

Fox turned in his chair to face Pikachu, his focus traveling from her face to the object in her hands. The expression on his face softened, and he smiled, but to her it seemed almost wistful.

"That's my dad."

Lips parting slightly, Pikachu's eyes floated back and forth between the two vulpines, confirming the relation that Fox spoke of. She couldn't help but smile sadly at the picture, the lack of her own family and memories of popping up in her thoughts.

"He must be proud of you," she spoke softly.

The Starfox leader heaved a sigh as he made his way to the bed, sitting next to the blonde. He took the frame from her hands, cradling it between his own. His brow furrowed, and Pikachu felt regret pang in her chest from what she said.

"I would hope so," he replied, raising his head and staring off into the distance at nothing in particular.

Pikachu felt the corners of her mouth fall. Suddenly, it clicked.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, searching his face for a definable expression.

He turned to face her, a small smile gracing his lips. "He was a good dad," Fox began, looking down at the item he held. "He always wanted me to follow in his footsteps."

Pikachu rose an eyebrow. "He was a pilot too?"

Fox nodded. "Starfox was originally his team before I took over when he disappeared."

Pikachu felt her interest peaked; partially for the history of Fox since she didn't know much about him at all, but also for hearing about someone who can relate to the feelings of loneliness and confusion she possesses for being unable to remember her family.

She lifted herself up on the bed, crossing her legs and letting her hands fall into her lap. She cautiously reached over, plucking the frame from Fox's hands, inspecting the figure more closely.

"Tell me about him?"

She peeked her eyes up at the pilot in front of her, his blank expression melting in a gentle smile.

"Sure."


	13. Paralyze

_**13: Paralyze**_

Normally this kind of situation didn't elicit concern from her; she would look the other way because it generally was deserved or utilized as a defense mechanism, especially in a fight. She obviously felt guilty whenever it happened to a friend or innocent bystander because she couldn't control it every time when contact was made. It was purely a roll of the dice. And this time, the roll was not in the opposition's favor.

Pikachu felt bad because on the other side of the door she was planted in front of, Fox McCloud was laying in there, practically immobilized because of _her._

She believed that as his friend and the responsible source for the matter at hand, she was obligated to enter that room and be prepared for whatever he was going to throw at her, because she was one-hundred percent unable to foresee how Fox would react after all that had just gone down. It had all started as a harmless practice match; he approached her earlier that morning seeing if she was interested in sparring on one of the newer stages Master Hand had recently had programmed in. Obviously, she acquiesced.

She opted for her standard Pikachu form, so she was hopping around and narrowly dodging all of Fox's attacks. After landing a few kicks on her small mouse body, unknowingly to her, her Static ability was activated and the next kick landed by Fox was his ultimate downfall to laying on the ground, unable to move, leaving Pikachu to panic from the other side of the stage. Despite not having full knowledge of her own powers- which was a tad embarrassing in her honest opinion but she kept that to herself- she eventually believed her ability was instinctually activated in a time of crisis.

Understandably so since Fox was pretty much kicking her ass the entire match.

But here she was.

Pikachu's mind went into overdrive as she attempted to will herself to enter the infirmary room and seek out the afflicted vulpine, but her body was acting as though she was the one who was paralyzed.

She cursed herself under her breath; why was she so nervous anyway? It was _Fox._ The pilot was an incredibly cool customer, but her anxiety and paranoia was whispering to her about how he was going to be pissed at her and not happy whatsoever to see her enter the infirmary, especially when he has no means of escape. It was ridiculous what the mind could come up with when you were alone with your thoughts.

She remained planted for another ten minutes, enduring a recurring pattern of no thoughts whatsoever to suddenly every single thought in the world screaming at her within her mind. It was too much. It reduced her body to numb nothingness, unaware of any activity surrounding her at the moment.

She snapped out of her daze when the door in front of her opened, Dr. Mario stepping out of the room. His eyes lit up as they landed on the blonde, and he approached her quickly.

"Oh good, you're here finally."

Pikachu resisted the urge to flinch. Finally? As in they were expecting her? Or more specifically, Fox was?

"Sorry," she forced out. "I got caught up."

Dr. Mario merely raised an eyebrow at her as she felt a layer of nervous sweat coat her back. He continued to stare her down for a moment before responding.

"No matter I guess. You're here now. Fox was asking about you."

Another flinch. "He was?"

The doctor chucked to himself at her neurotic expression. "He was indeed. I would entertain you with _why_ he was asking, but you might as well go find out for yourself."

Pikachu felt the desire to turn down the offer climb up her throat before swallowing it back down. What kind of person, no, _friend,_ would she be abandoning someone she caused harm to, especially when they were apparently looking for her?

"Okay, thanks."

Nodding at her, Dr. Mario quickly scrambled away from the girl. She stayed still, watching as he rounded the corner down the hall before finally reaching for the door handle leading her to what basically felt like her doom.

The door creaked obnoxiously, making her want to cut and run more than she did before; the added attention to her loud entrance was unwanted, and she prayed that when she walked in that Fox would already be preoccupied by something, _anything_ that would divert his attention from her. Peeking in slowly, she surveyed the room, unable to locate the vulpine in question. She noticed a curtain drawn in the corner, realizing that Dr. Mario likely did that as a respect of privacy for anyone who wandered in, unaware of Fox's current condition.

Having her body completely into the infirmary, she closed the door behind her gently, continuing to eye the white-walled area around her.

Cautiously, she spoke up after finding her voice. "Fox?"

"Back here."

The immediate response made her nearly jump out of her skin- to say she was expecting him to be that fast on the draw was a big fat no. She tip-toed to the source of the voice, slipping past the curtain.

Seeing Fox made her scowl bitterly, more to herself for putting him in this position rather than the actual sight of him. He was laying flat on his back, legs and one arm sticking out completely straight. His head was propped up at a slight angle on a pillow, and his remaining arm laid across his stomach. His white jacket was discarded from his bottom, folded neatly on the visitor chair next to the bed.

"There you are," he chuckled. His voice, despite sounding friendly and as normal as Fox sounds, made Pikachu's stomach churn uncomfortably and she resorted to focusing on the white garment instead.

"Did Dr. Mario help you shed the jacket?"

"Yeah. I got warm pretty fast thanks to the medicine."

Pikachu found herself frowning again. Mustering up the courage, she looked him in the eye. He stared back at her, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, voice gentle.

"I should be asking you that," she spat out quickly, and felt heat rise to her cheeks in embarrassment. "I put you in this position…"

He chuckled again, raising the arm that was propped up on his stomach and pointing lazily at the lone chair. "You can sit down you know."

She immediately strode over to the chair, pulling it quickly to the side of the bed. Tossing the jacket on the back of the chair, she plopped down in it and turned to him, eyes almost expectant.

Fox's eyes widened slightly, looking around before meeting hers again. "What?"

Another scowl. "You're taking this too well."

Fox's eyes rolled. "You're being too hard on yourself. It was an accident."

The frown deepened. "Yeah but you're laying here, probably bored out of your mind because of me. Aren't you upset?"

"Well," he began, looking thoughtful. "If there's anything I'm upset about, it's probably that it took you so long to get here." He looked at her again, shooting her a dazzling smile.

Pikachu felt her mind go blank and her heart accelerate. Shaking her mind of the intrusive thoughts, she fisted her hands tightly before continuing.

"Sorry," she choked out. "I didn't come because… I was scared you'd be mad at me."

Her eyes refused to meet his, searching the less-than-glamorous room for anything to attract her attention so she didn't have to focus on the source of her heart palpitations.

"You're ridiculous," he laughed.

Despite not wanting to look him in the eye before, she now wanted nothing more than to glare at him. "Excuse me?"

Turning his head to her again, Fox paused for a second before continuing. "You're beating yourself up over something that seems like it's out of your control."

"Fox, you're laying here because I basically paralyzed you."

"Temporarily," he pointed out. "Dr. Mario has some great stuff- I can already move one arm and my neck, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to sit up soon."

She sighed with a shake of her head. "You just look so… pathetic like that."

Fox let out a short laugh at her statement. "You know that's not a good way to flirt with someone."

Pikachu's ears shot straight up and her face flushed a deep crimson at his latest joke. "Who said I was flirting with you?!"

The vulpine grinned at her again, and she felt her face, somehow, get even hotter than it was before. She decided that although he wasn't mad with her, that probably screwing around with her was as good enough of revenge as he could get without anyone's feelings really getting hurt.

She still didn't like the position he put her in regardless.

Fox merely smirked at her, likely due to the current condition her face was in. She was scared it was pure pink and crimson and she could swear that her heart was pounding so loud that he would also be able to hear it.

"I didn't come here so you could poke fun at me. I was worried about you."

"Yeah, yeah," he dismissed her with a wave of his currently operating hand. "And I was worried you weren't going to show up."

She tried so hard not to hiss at him; obviously he was having too much fun now taking advantage of her flustered state. And the worst part for her was that any and all comebacks had dissolved in her mind, so she was left as the blushing mess.

"Well I hope this is entertaining you," she stated bluntly.

Another smile escaped him. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't making me feel better."

Standing abruptly, she gave him a pointed look. "Well, since you seem to be doing so much better, I'll get going."

She began to make her way to the door as he called out to her. "You sure you don't want to spend more time with poor ole me?"

Stopping in her tracks, Pikachu peered back at him over her shoulder. She said nothing, opting to stare him down as he returned her stare with a cheeky grin of his own.

Finally, she spoke.

"You hungry?"

He attempted what she took to be a shrug as he mulled the question over. "Yeah, I'd say I am."

"I'll get us some food then."

Opening the door to exit, she turned on her heel to face the now exposed vulpine, the sole occupant of the infirmary and flashed him a smile of her own. "I'll be right back, okay?"

He chuckled with a weak nod. "I'll be here then."


	14. First Kiss

(A/N): Hi hello- just wanted to toss out there that updates might become infrequent for a while because I have not only been struggling with some pretty rough writers block, but I also recently started two internships for the summer.

I'm doing some 9 to 5 work, paired up with commuting, so my days are quickly becoming swamped.

As always, thank you for reading! Thank you for reviewing! I would love to hear more thoughts so don't be afraid to review or message me or anything really.

* * *

 _ **14: First Kiss**_

Shame on me.

Shame on me.

 _Shame on me._

It rang in her head like a bad and painfully catchy tune. She had left the Smash mansion and could only think of _that moment_ for a few days after before the busy lifestyle of the exploration team sucked her right back in. She didn't have time to think of what could have been, what could be, or especially how he was doing so very far away.

But as Pikachu returned for the new season, riddled with new faces and challenges, the thoughts of the moment flooded her mind again.

She sighed as she entered the large mansion, unsure herself if it was a release of content or dismay. The sights of everyone back together again made her heart warm slightly, and she couldn't help but smile a little at the scene before her. Master Hand pointing each smasher who approached him in a different direction (Pikachu assumed towards their respective bedroom), few groupings scattered as they shared their "vacation" details and what they had been up to, and some tearful reunions.

So emotional. It made the smile fade into a frown. Once again, her thoughts drifted unwillingly to the subject in question.

 _Did he miss me?_ She wondered briefly, standing in place and paying little mind to the bustle surrounding her.

 _Did he think about it at all?_

She seriously doubted it. He didn't strike her as the type to dwell on something, especially if that certain something didn't actually happen.

Pikachu forced herself to dispel the notion and progress towards her room instead. Her conversation with Master Hand was brief; he asked her the few basic questions such as how are you and are you ready for this season before eventually picking up on her exhaustion, sending her along her way towards where she would rest her head at night. The walk was uneventful- she was able to reunite with a few old friends in the form of Sonic, Pit, Samus, and even Ness. The exchanged quick small talk, but it was not very stimulating for her.

After bidding them all farewell, she was left with her own thoughts and silence wrapping its cold arms around her again. Her feet moved on their own while her mind traveled elsewhere. Again, the moment reared its ugly head and her heart thumped angrily.

 _Why did he do that?_

Her current state in the world became foggy as she felt herself replaying that day, again, in her mind.

Everything was great- better than great even. The previous tournament had been wrapping up, and while neither of them made it to the finals, they both placed exceptionally well. She made it into the top eight while he surpassed her and achieved top four status. The final happened earlier that afternoon, Marth narrowly defeating Lucario and taking the championship home with him. Neither of them were bitter about the outcome since Marth had bested them both to move on, putting an end to their tourney careers.

It was his idea to run away to the rooftop to watch the sun melt into the horizon. He asked Pikachu to accompany him, and the constant smiles and looks of pure adoration made her believe that this was going to be more than a simple roof visit.

And how right, but simultaneously wrong she was.

After talking for what felt like forever, she noticed the look in his eyes change, the way he shifted forward and began to lean in. Her heart stopped. She knew what that all meant. It was the dream of every girl. Their first kiss. _Her_ first kiss.

So she closed her eyes.

And waited.

And waited.

For nothing.

And when she opened her eyes, he had leaned back, refusing to look up at her. The expression on his face differed greatly from how it was a few moments prior, which rattled her greatly. Finally, when he raised his face, all that left his mouth was-

"I'll see you in a few weeks."

And then he left.

So needless to say, she was not willing or looking forward whatsoever to inevitably running into Fox McCloud anytime soon. Not like there was much she could do about it because she knew that at sometime in the near future, their paths would be forced to cross. And it irritated her.

Speak of the devil.

Pikachu felt her mind short circuit as soon as he walked into view; she wasn't ready for a confrontation yet. She had barely even thought of how she would address him, the type of attitude she would adopt when locked into a conversation with him, let alone remembering how to breath properly around him.

She was barely breathing right now and nothing had even happened yet.

She hadn't processed any of it- the what comes next aspect. She had been so caught up on the part of what didn't happen and what had ultimately been the catalyst for this issue in the first place.

The limited breathing she had control over ceased completely when he locked eyes with her, and gave her _that_ smile. The smile that made her knees weak during the last tournament when she discovered that she was indeed head over heels for the guy. It made her feel like such a girl. It _infuriated_ her. Her blood boiled, she shifted uncomfortably. How dare he. How dare he think that he can just waltz in and smile at her like that and act like that.

 _Oh. Here he comes._

And now her mind went into overdrive, searching for the most effective, preferably somewhat stinging statement that she could say to him to get her point and feelings across.

 _You really hurt me, you know._

No. That's not enough. He probably knows that already. Does he?

 _I'm done with this._

But there was never a _this_ to begin with.

Maybe the best thing to say is practically nothing at all?

With the closing distance, she took note of the disappearance of the smile on his muzzle, replaced by a more determined expression. It made her dread the upcoming interaction even more than she just had been. What did that look mean?

Then it dawned upon her. _Oh god. What if he's planning on saying what I want to say?_

 _No- don't let him take control. You end this_.

He came to a halt in front of her, standing closer than she would have liked. He remained silent, his eyes clouding over. She ignored it and took the lack of speaking as her cue to begin.

She breathed out slowly, racking her brain for the right words. "Look. I don't have much to say but I will say- ".

It didn't matter because she didn't get to say what she wanted regardless because he was kissing her.

It was brief, and as soon as she registered exactly what he was doing, he had pulled away, but still held her face between his gloved hands.

"I'm _so_ sorry."

She blinked. "What?" Her mind was still lost in a dense fog.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, on the brink of sounding desperate.

When it clicked what he was referring to- which wasn't a big surprise to her at this point- she couldn't stop from frowning. "Well I sure hope you are."

He released her face, raising one of his hands to run through the tuft of fur on the top of his head. "I know, I know. It doesn't make up for how lame I was at the end of everything."

Pikachu couldn't help but giggle at his choice of words, a reaction that brought a small smile to his face. "Lame is a funny way of putting it."

"It's true though."

For the first time that day, a genuine smile graced her features. "I believe you. But that was a few weeks late."

He leaned in, planting a chaste kiss on her lips once more. Leaning back, he smirked at her. "Well we can make up for lost time."

"Oh, you have _plenty_ of making up to do after that stunt you pulled on me, McCloud."

"You're not going to drop that anytime soon, are you?" He asked, glowering at her.

"Try me again in a few weeks," she replied with a wink, beginning to work her way around him towards her room.

"Oh no, you don't," he laughed, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back towards him. She laughed aloud with him, happily responding to the gesture by initiating a kiss of her own.

It might have been a blessing that she didn't know what to say.


	15. Mischief

**_15:Mischief_**

Fox peeked down the aisle from where he sat and one row forward. Pikachu was positioned facing the front stage where Master Hand was, floating back and forth and explaining all the "need-to-knows" about the next tournament; it wasn't anything Fox hadn't heard before. He casually drowned out the official tone of Master Hand's voice because it bored him more than anything, and settled for focusing on her instead. He could tell, despite the direction her body faced, that she had a clear visual of him in her peripherals when their eyes eventually met and the way the corners of her lips turned up in a smirk.

His muzzle reflected her expression as he lifted a hand, enclosed with just the thumb sticking out and jabbing it in the direction of the suspended and never-stopping-to-breath glove. He shook his head as though to say _get a load of this guy_ , to which he received a silent laugh and an eye roll from the blonde. He noticed her shift in her spot to allow a better view of the vulpine while still attempting (and failing) to focus on Master Hand's speech.

Fox waited patient, albeit hopefully for Pikachu to make the next move, and luckily he didn't have to wait long when Master Hand settled on the exceptionally tired topic of practice matches and stage reservations. He noticed her posture visibly sag and entire body heave with an agitated sigh, coupled with the shake of her head as she peeked back at him.

Fox couldn't stop his grin from seeing the look on her face- she just looked so _done._ He sent her a thumbs up and a raise of the eyebrows, and she shook her head so thoroughly back at him that he became consumed with faint worry of an impending headache. She followed through with a thumbs down, and Fox laughed internally at her dismay. Her face then contorted as though she picked up on a foul scent. Suddenly, her tongue shot out at him, taunting him.

Deciding to fire back with humor, Fox raised a hand to his chest, glancing at the people positioned to the left and right of him and then returning eye contact. He mouthed ' _me?'_ at her, his expression showing mock-offense. That action earned an audible snort from Pikachu, causing Master Hand to stutter slightly during his speech before attempting to continue; Peach fired a look of slight disapproval from the second row in front while, surprisingly, Ganondorf adorned the tiniest smirk of amusement.

Pikachu narrowed her eyes at the vulpine, attempting to communicate _knock it off before we get in trouble_ , which was combated by the obvious fact that she was fighting back a smile. She puffed her cheeks out and glared daggers at him. He paid no mind to her, allowing himself to tune into the master of the house's next topic.

"All right… time for dining hall and food regulations."

Fox's ears perked up at a few of the tiny sighs of contempt surrounding him, and swallowed back a fierce groan of his own. He looked back at Pikachu, taking note of her new position. She had a leg tucked underneath her and an arm propped up on the back of the seat, cradling the side of her head. Fox choked back a laugh at her wide eyes and slack-jawed expression. Her eyes quickly snapped back to meet his and he took the bait, making a finger gun with his hand and pretending to shoot himself in the head.

Pikachu forced her mouth into a straight line to swallow back any giggles threatening to spill over, and her shoulders tremored. She diverted her attention and Fox found himself following her line of sight to see her staring at a sleeping Mario. Their eyes met once more as they exchanged mystified expressions, once again trying to cease any noises from escape.

Fox did fine. She, however, did not.

She released another snort that resulted in her sinking down in her seat to hide from anyone who chose to take offense to the less-than-stellar behavior. Little Mac let out a snort of his own, Pit chimed in with a "what was that?", and a few of the younger fighters giggled aloud.

Master Hand's voice boomed throughout the room. " _Excuse me-_ order in the smash house! The sooner I can continue, the sooner we can finish and get out of here." He paused briefly, thoughtful.

"Look alive, Super Mario."

Luigi nudged his brother in the stomach who awoke with a very loud snort, causing more disruption. Fox laughed aloud finally and glanced over at Pikachu, whose shoulders were rocking violently as she hid her face behind her hands.

Master Hand grunted, sounding displeased, earning the attention of some but not all present. "Whatever- we can finish this later after you all had your naps. I swear, the most talented fighters in the galaxy and they have the attention span of a toddler…" He grumbled the last under his breath as the room cleared.

Fox quickly made his way over Pikachu sat, offering her a hand to help her up.

"Riveting speech, curtesy of our very own glove," he joked. "That wasn't too bad."

She shot him a look of disbelief. "You've got to be joking. That was terrible. Even Mario couldn't make it through and he normally eats this kind of stuff up."

Fox shrugged, a low chuckle escaping him. "Could've fooled me. You seemed entertained."

A dangerous glint flashed in her eyes. "Yeah. Thanks a lot for that. Everyone was staring at me after the first one."

Fox grinned at her. "Happy to be of a service."


	16. Never Again

_**16: Never Again**_

Everything was muffled and the ringing in her ears was overwhelming. She could tell that he was talking to her, or at least trying to because she was his mouth moving, but no words came out. Her vision was faltering, everything becoming very blurry except for Fox, who she kept her eyes trained on. Everything was fuzzy and everything felt numb and confusing.

After a few more minutes passed, she registered that the wind that kept tickling her cheeks was from the speed that she and Fox were moving at. He cradled her in his arms, holding her close as though afraid that someone would snatch her away from him and kept looking down at her with the same scared expression.

She wanted to ask him what was wrong but her voice was lost. She failed to remember how to talk, and what the sensation of forcing words out felt like.

 _Where was she anyway?_

She couldn't remember where she had been, where she just was, or how she got here- wherever here was.

 _What happened?_

Finally gathering the tiniest bit of strength, she moved her eyes to look past the shoulder of Fox to spot Samus on the other side of him. The blonde woman's face was twisted in a frustrated expression as she ran alongside the vulpine, shouting to someone. It made Pikachu wonder who else may be around.

 _Where am I?_

Suddenly, unsure how she ended up in that position, the cool sensation of the cold surface of the ground met the exposed skin of her back. It felt nice. It was a nice contrast to the sticky warmth on her forehead that stretched down the side of her cheek.

 _When did Peach get here?_

The princess' blue eyes were extremely glossy and pink and puffy, and a loose tear escaped her eye to land on Pikachu's nose. Peach firmly pressed something cold against her forehead, and a searing pain shot through her her. Pikachu became aware of the dull ache in her abdomen and the fact that her leg didn't feel quite right.

Fox reappeared by her side, his mouth moving again but she heard none of it. Her senses were still too muffled, and her mind was still so lost. She found herself desperate to make out what he was saying to her, but nothing registered.

 _Where am I?_

Doctor Mario was here now, Samus and Robin stationed behind him. Another sharp sensation overcame Pikachu's abdomen area, and she felt her mouth gape instinctually and force something out from the bottom of her throat. She was unsure what came out however, but the looks on everyone's faces made her feel panicked and intensified the pain. Doctor Mario hovered over her, his face screwed in concentration as the stabbing pain overwhelmed. She saw Fox turn towards the doctor, anger contorting his facial features, apparently yelling something nasty to him. Doctor Mario didn't respond, merely glaring at the vulpine as he continued his work.

 _When will the buzzing stop?_

The pain…

 _Will it go away?_

Falco appeared, resting a feathered hand on Fox's shoulder who attempted to brush him off. Fox scrambled out of the avian's grip and moved closer to her, trying to speak to her once again. His gloved hand cupped her face and his eyes seemed conflicted. She maintained the eye contact with him, spying the movement from the others in her peripherals. Falco's hand landed on Fox again, trying to pull him away.

 _Black. Dark._

 _I was never a fan of the dark._

Black dots danced in her vision, and her sight became to disappear quickly. The ringing in her ears became deafening, a constant dull ring echoing throughout her head.

 _Why was he so angry?_

Peach's face turned horrified and she stretched an arm out, looking like she was openly crying. Fox swung his arm around, fist connecting with Falco. Samus looked prepared to intervene with whatever was happening.

It was too confusing right now for her. Sleep beckoned her, and she accepted with open arms.

* * *

She awoke slowly. Her eyes fluttered open gently, her eyelashes peeking from the top of her vision as she blinked several times, gradually coming to her sense. The stark white room hurt her eyes, and she squinted to combat the discomfort. The room reminded her of the infirmary at the mansion, and after further analysis made her realize that it was in fact that very room.

 _How…?_

"Good, you're awake."

The voice to her right made her jump slightly. Samus gave her a soft smile, an uncommon sight from the bounty hunter. "How are you feeling?"

Pikachu attempted to speak up, stopped by the unbearable scratching sensation resting in the back of her throat.

 _Too dry._

"Can I… water?"

Samus' eyes lit up as she reached behind where she sat and handed the smaller blonde a cup filled with water. Pikachu's hand dropped somewhat as she took the ahold of the cup, obviously still not having all her strength back, struggling to raise it close to her mouth. Samus shifted again, dropping a straw into the cup.

"Here."

Pikachu silently thanked her, sipping the water greedily. The liquid refreshed her and brought life back to her throat, albeit burning it ever so barely.

She paused her drinking for a moment. "…where–" she began, struggling to speak.

"Hey! Rise 'n shine, girly." Falco's voice cut through the beginning of her question like butter, earning the attention of the blonde bounty hunter.

"Leave her be, Falco. She just woke up."

Falco shot Samus a sour look. "Hey Sam- I'm just as relieved as you are that she's up, you know," he quipped before redirecting his attention to Pikachu. "How're you doing?"

Pikachu licked her lips quickly before finding her voice. "I… I'm not sure… okay, I guess?" Her voice croaked, sounding weak and hollow. Her middle section tightened uncomfortably, making her wince. "Falco…"

The probe was cut off once again by the door flying open. Doctor Mario walked in, arms full of papers while Peach scurried after him, carrying blankets. Robin brought up the rear, an annoyed look cast on his face at the door having banged against the wall.

"Make room- make room!" The Doctor chattered, getting close to the electric girl and shining a bright light in her eye. Pikachu recoiled at the unexpected gleam and fired a confused look back at Samus and Falco.

Doctor Mario narrowed his eyes at her, humming under his breath. "Well… you don't seem concussed, which is shocking if I do say so myself. Does your head hurt?"

Pikachu widened her eyes at his words. Concussed? What happened?

"I mean- no. I don't think so?"

Doctor Mario chuckled at her perplexed expression. "You either know or you don't."

She paused briefly, allowing herself to evaluate the current state if her body. She recognized the dull throbbing on her forehead, and raised a hand to touch the afflicted area. She winced at the sting when her hand met her skin, rubbing the bandages lightly.

"A bit, I suppose."

The Doctor clucked his tongue as he scribbled something down on his clipboard. Peach moved about the end of the bed, unfolding a blanket quickly and laying in across her exposed ankles and taking care to tuck it slightly underneath Pikachu. The princess sniffled lightly, her eyes still apparently puffy, and Pikachu felt herself bite down on her tongue to prevent from asking if the princess was doing okay.

"Okay… Robin, if you could help me with the medicine, I'd appreciate it," Doctor Mario concluded, turning to the cloaked man, who nodded back at him.

"Of course," Robin replied and turned to face the blonde in the bed. "Rest up, Pikachu."

She said nothing and watched them exit the room. Peach remained silent as she quickly exited after them, her sniffling growing louder by the second. Neither Falco or Samus spoke up and the three sat in a heavy silence. Pikachu decided to take a stab at her desired question one final time before giving in.

"Falco…" she began quietly, and the avian turned to look at her, expectancy shining in his eyes." "Where's– "

"Fox?" Falco interjected, finishing the thought for her. "Hiding in his room."

"Why?"

Samus sat at the edge of the bed, resting hand on Pikachu's knee and rubbing up and down. "He's blaming himself for what happened to you."

Pikachu let the words sink in, prying her brain for recollection of what occurred earlier that day that resulted in her battered and damaged and laying in the infirmary. Nothing came up, the last thing she was able to recall was the incident in the hallway leading up to her passing out, and prior to that her admiring the scenery outside, before hearing a strained cry from Fox. Then darkness.

"What happened to me?" Pikachu asked, and the looks of surprise on her visitors faces caught her off guard.

"Pikachu…" Samus began, her voice settling with an uncomfortably gentle tone. "The cliff you were standing on collapsed."

Nothing popped up in her mind. She couldn't recall that moment happening. She couldn't remember what it felt like. If there was any pain associated with the event. But most of all…

"But if I fell off a cliff, why is Fox hiding in his room?"

"Because he's blaming himself for what happened to you," Falco stated, blunt.

Pikachu frowned, half at the vague response and half at the headache settling at the forefront of her head. "I don't understand."

Samus sighed; whether it was due to fatigue or agitation was unknown to Pikachu, but she didn't dwell on it. "We probably shouldn't be the ones telling you exactly what happened today."

Falco let out a dry laugh. "Good luck then. Fox won't be coming out of his room anytime soon, trust me. I already tried."

"Then try harder," Samus snapped at him, and he grunted in response. "Fox should be here with her, more than anyone. He's taking this harder than anyone."

"The guy is stubborn as shit. He won't accept that an accident was an accident. He'll wallow in self pity until Pikachu's back on her feet and kissing him and telling him all is fine."

Pikachu's brow furrowed at the comment made by the bird, her cheeks burning faintly. "Well tell him that I'm fine and it's fine, whatever happened."

Falco waggled a finger at her, shaking his head. "Tried that already. I told him you'd be okay, and he pretty much told me to buzz off."

Samus breathed out through her nose, standing abruptly. "It doesn't matter what he does or doesn't know. He should, however, be here with her because you and I know as well as anyone that he cares too much about her."

Pikachu felt her face fall into a scowl at Samus' strange comment. "Look- I don't care what happened. I'm fine." She turned to face the avian. "Tell him that."

Pikachu felt herself grow frustrated at the absence of the vulpine in question, but also confused at the comments involving the relationship of the two from her two current companions. She huffed, digging herself deeper into her blankets and pillows. "I don't care if he does or doesn't show up. That's his choice."

Samus sent her an affectionate look, tussling her hair gently. "He'll be here. _We_ "–she emphasized, shooting a look at Falco before continuing– "promise."

Pikachu nodded slowly, and the two exited, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

The creak of the infirmary door opening snapped Pikachu out of her light sleep. The lights of the infirmary were off, and the room was blanketed in an illuminated darkness from the moon shining through the blinds. The sound of footsteps made Pikachu's heart pound faintly against her chest.

"Doctor Mario?"

The blinds moved, and in came a tired looking Fox McCloud. His face was ragged, like he had been rubbing and pulling at his fur all day, and the bags under his eyes was absurd. He shifted uncomfortably in place, waiting for her to say something before acknowledging her silence as an invitation and plopping down on the side of her bed.

"Hey…" he whispered, gentle.

"Hi…" she replied, the confusion that dissipated with her sleeping coming back with a vengeance.

"How are you feeling?" He questioned, his eyes refusing to meet hers.

Pikachu found herself quickly irritated with her avoidance, and chose to ignore the question.

 _What happened…?_

She breathed out slowly, willing herself to ask what has been on her mind all day. "What happened today… out there?"

Fox finally lifted his head to look in the eye, and her heart panged painfully. The gaze in his eyes was full of hurt, and they were puffy, leading her to fear that he had been hiding in his room to release the tears and emotions he was bottling up.

"I couldn't protect you," he forced out, his voice cracking. "That's what happened."

"Oh Fox… the cliff collapsed. You couldn't have prevented that."

"The cliff collapsed because it was shot at, Pikachu. And I saw them fire that rocket, where you were standing." He lowered his head, running a gloved hand across his face. "And then…"

Pikachu bit down on her lip at the realization of why Samus and Falco refused to give her all the details from earlier. She waited patiently for the vulpine to muster up the strength to continue.

"The look on your face," he began, another crack intervening with his normally steady voice. "I thought I was scared, but man… you looked terrified when you fell."

Chills crawled down her spine, and her memory slowly placed the pieces of the day's earlier events back together, forming the picture.

"I couldn't save you…" he breathed out. "And you got hurt."

"But I'm alive," she whispered, afraid to speak too loudly.

"That should've been me."

"Fox…"

"You got hurt, because I was stupid, and I won't ever make that mistake, ever again," he snapped at nothing in particular. The sharp cut of his voice made her flinch and she felt the tiniest bit of fear settle in her stomach.

He looked her in the eye again, a different but unrecognizable emotion floating in them. Warmth worked its way up and throughout her body as he scooted closer to her.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize."

"I do."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do," he snapped, eyes widening before mumbling an apology. "I just… you got hurt because I was irresponsible. I wasn't good enough. You almost died because I failed to keep you safe."

Pikachu, overcome with emotion, quickly leaned forward, ignoring the pain screaming at her to stop in her stomach, and planting a small kiss near his lips. She leaned back, face scorching from the intimacy between them, and he returned the look with an intense stare of his own.

"You, are my hero, Fox McCloud," she whispered, her face continuing to burn with each word slipping out of her mouth. "I may have fallen off a cliff, but you saved me, and you kept me alive long enough to make it back here. And for that, I thank you."

Fox remained silent and frozen for a moment, before raising an arm and cupping her cheek delicately, afraid that if he grasped any harder than she would crumble in his grip. He moved in swiftly, catching her lips in a soft kiss. Pikachu settled into the kiss, shyly grabbing at his jacket and pulling him in closer to where she sat on the bed.

Pulling away, he gazed at her. "I'm sorry."

She sighed, returning the look. "It's okay, Fox," she said softly, rubbing his cheek affectionately.

He smiled softly at her before moving to stand. Her hand shot out, catching his forearm, and he looked back at her, curious.

"Please stay."

Fox blinked before nodding. "Okay."

Pikachu shifted slightly to make room for the vulpine who laid down next to her. His hand made its way down to hers, his fingers weaving through and interlocking with her own. He gave a gentle squeeze and she responded with one of her own.

"Don't worry," he began quietly as she closed her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. Never again."


	17. Mess

_**17: Mess**_

His room was a disaster zone. Clothes were anywhere and everywhere throughout the limited space, whether it be bundled up against a wall or tossed lazily onto his bed. She feared for attempting to walk into the room because it looked like a minefield to her. He had yanked drawers and cabinets open, and left them in that position, as though a failed reminder to put every article of clothing back away once he was done. His desk space appeared as though someone had laid their arms down on the surface and frantically flailed them about with the intent of destruction.

Pikachu found herself in awe at the side of Fox that she had never seen before. At face value, the vulpine was seemingly very well put together, professional, _clean._

Or at least she had assumed.

She also found it extremely amusing that his Achilles' heel was his inability to keep a living space organized under special circumstances. And he stood in the middle of the chaos, hand under chin, eyes searching.

"What is the matter with you?"

Fox's tail swished back and forth as he ignored her probe. When she realized he wasn't going to humor her sarcasm, she grew agitated.

"Fox," she repeated, stern.

Another response of dead air. She wasn't sure if he was just choosing to not respond because both of them knew that the current situation didn't look good on his behalf, or if he genuinely did not hear her.

She sighed to herself before taking a cautious step forward into the mess of clothes and items, careful to keep her eyes trained on the ground so she didn't step on anything undesirable. She reached the back of the pilot who stood a few inches taller than her, causing her to have to crane her neck slightly up at him.

She reached a hand out and gave a gentle yank on the collar of his jacket. "Hello, excuse me."

He whirled around to face her, eyes lighting up. "When did you get here?"

Pikachu felt her jaw drop and eyes widen like saucers at his lack of awareness to her presence. "I've been here! For like five minutes!"

He flinched slightly at her offended tone before reaching down and giving her hand a quick squeeze. "Sorry- consider me distracted." He then worked his way around the blonde to his deck, scratching his head at the clutter.

"Yeah, I could tell," she replied sarcastically. "I came to see if you wanted to train but I can tell that you are dealing with something right now that probably deserves your attention."

He shot her a smirk. "Yeah. Something that deserves a little more attention than you right now."

"Ha ha," she mocked, rolling her eyes. "What exactly are you doing, anyway?"

Fox breathed out slowly as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Looking for all the blueprints I brought with me for the new models of the arwings that Slippy has been working on."

Her ears perked up in interest. "That's why your room is a disaster zone," she giggled, and he scowled at her laughter.

"It's a little more serious than you may think, believe it or not."

Pikachu ceased her laughing and changed her expression to show her sympathy for the stressed vulpine in front of her. "I'm sorry."

Fox kept his mouth closed, raising a single eyebrow at her, challenging her previous statement. The blonde in turn raised a hand to her mouth in an attempt to muffle her laughter. He took note of her tremoring shoulders and reached behind him, hand grabbing for the sweatshirt. He whirled around, throwing the article at the blonde, gentle to not hurt her but forceful enough to cross the room to where she was standing. The sweatshirt met her face, earning an 'oof!' from her out of surprise. She grabbed at the sweatshirt and pulled it down off of her face, revealing a heavy-lipped pout.

"That wasn't very nice."

"You weren't being very nice."

Her eyes brightened at his retort. "I wasn't laughing at you! I was laughing with you- big difference."

"Sure, whatever you say."

Pikachu's pout grew before she stuck her tongue out at the vulpine, tossing the sweatshirt over her head and pulling it down onto her small frame. "Thanks for the sweatshirt, by the way," she sneered playfully, causing Fox to deepen his frown.

"Hey now," he began, taking a step forward. "That's my favorite sweatshirt."

"Well then you shouldn't have offered it to me like that."

"I didn't."

Pikachu waved her hand back and forth in front of her, beginning to make her way towards the exit into the hallway. "Pish posh, McCloud."

Fox rolled his head to the side, trying his hardest to not let his eyes roll at her dismissive behavior. "At least help me, clean up this place if you're going to start stealing my stuff."

The girl's face scrunched up in distaste as she hummed, sounding disinterested. "That sounds fun and all, but I think I'll have to pass on that one," she sang, continuing to back up towards the door. Fox scrambled in her direction, accidentally bumping his hip on the side of the desk.

"Hold on- you can't take my favorite sweatshirt."

Pikachu's lips curled into a smile as he paused in front of her. "How about this? You clean up this room, and I'll give you back your sweatshirt in return when you're done."

He bit back a groan before finally conceding to her offer. Besides, at worst he would have to deal with separation from his sweatshirt for a few hours while riffling through the disaster zone he currently inhabited. "Fine, fine."

Her smile widened at his, leaning forward and planting a small kiss at the corner of his mouth. Rocking back on her heel, she let out a content sigh as her eyes roamed the room. "I'll be back in a few hours to check on you then."

Fox hummed in response, heading back to the desk to start his organization there. Pikachu turned back to the door to make her leave before pausing briefly at the glint of blue that caught the corner of her eye. She bent down by the bed, snagging the loose item on the ground, snickering aloud to herself.

"By the way, Fox…"

"Yeah?" He started, peering back at the blonde, sticking a hand out to intercept the item thrown in his direction. Revealing to be the blueprints he searched for, his jaw went slack in amazement while Pikachu grinned at him.

"Have fun with your mess!" She taunted, blowing a kiss at the stunned vulpine, finally making it out of the bedroom.

* * *

(A/N) I'm sorry! I've been a busy bee as of late, and I can't write to save the life of me for whatever reason.

Also, they are dating in this chapter.


End file.
